In the management of manufacture, delivery, distribution, maintenance, etc. of tires for automobiles and other vehicles, one needs to know quickly the unique information of individual tires: e.g., model number, serial number, specifications, properties, process history, and usage history.
Especially, the Product Liability law (PL law) provides that if a product inflicts any harm or damage on a person's life, body, or property due to a defect of the product, the manufacturer is responsible for compensating for the damage caused whether or not the incident is accidental. The provision makes it essential for the manufacturer to manage individual tires.
In addition, the American Department of Transport, or DOT, stipulates that the serial numbers of an individual tire and the vehicle identification number (VIN) must be included in the warrant of the tire so that identification and storage is possible.
Conventional methods for marking the tire with the unique information are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications 7-266811/1995 (Tokukaihei 7-266811; published Oct. 17, 1995) and 2000-084681 (Tokukai 2000-084681; published Mar. 28, 2000), among others. The former describes a method of attaching a bar code sticker to the surface or inside a tire. The latter describes a method of engraving the tire surface with an ID code.
However, these two bar code and engraving methods have the amount of information limited by display area. In addition, the bar code and engraving may fade and become unrecognizable due to peeling, abrasion, or like causes. The bar code, in particular, can be smeared and illegible after use in severe environment. This problem is partly addressed by attaching the bar code sticker inside the tire; the information on the bar code sticker cannot be utilized after the tire is mounted to a vehicle.
Other methods propose mounting a non-contact data communications device.
An example is found in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 11-102424/1999 (Tokukaihei 11-102424; published Apr. 13, 1999). There is provided a buffer layer composed of a resin film containing gel resin. The layer covers a portion including the joint of a circuit board and an antenna coil. All these parts are in turn enclosed in packaging material. This is intended to prevent external mechanical shock and the stress developed by deformation of an article itself from damaging internal components.
Another example is found in Published Japanese Translation of PCT Application 2001-525283 (Tokuhyo 2001-525283; published Dec. 11, 2001). An elastomeric material is provided to a circular part of a pneumatic tire. A device capable of data processing and transmission, enclosed in the elastomeric material, is mounted to the tire.
A further example is found in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2002-214060 (Tokukai 2002-214060; published Jul. 31, 2002). The invention is intended to protect sensors and electronic parts from degradation and destruction under pressure in vulcanization. The sensors and electronic parts are mounted on a circuit board and sealed in a housing, forming a transponder. A green tire with the transponder embedded between the inner liner and the carcass ply is vulcanized. After the vulcanization, the tips of protrusions of the housing are removed together with part of the surface of the tire's inner wall, so as to form openings on the tips of the protrusions through which the sensor in the housing communicate with an air reservoir of the tire.
A still further example is found in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2004-90775 (Tokukai 2004-90775; published Mar. 25, 2004). The invention is intended to prevent fracturing of an inexpensive film-shaped electronic device if it is mounted. The film-shaped electronic device, freely slidable in sheet-shaped members provided on both surfaces of the film-shaped electronic device, is attached inside the tire or on the surface of the tire.
Still another example is found in Japanese Utility Patent Publication 7-42514/1995 (Jitsukaihei 7-42514; published Aug. 4, 1995). The invention is intended to provide a sealed structure for a data carrier by a simple molding step which yet gives sufficient strength without degrading the performance of the data carrier. The data carrier has a rubber- and/or gel-like substance covering at least around a coil. The entire data carrier is sealed with a sealing resin.
A further example is found in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 11-85935/1999 (Tokukaihei 11-85935; published Mar. 30, 1999). The invention is intended to prevent an antenna coil from breaking due to deformation of an article itself containing a non-contact data carrier package. The antenna coil used is made of a metal line folded like a bellow before being wound.
Another example is found in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2003-302290 (Tokukai 2003-302290). The invention is intended to provide a temperature measuring data carrier which is capable of precisely measuring the continuously changing temperature of a heated object in real time. The data carrier contains a base consisting of at least a temperature sensor section, a memory section, a wireless communications section, and a control section. The base has a surface covered with a thermally insulating protection layer.
These methods and devices however give rise to problems if, for example, the devices are mounted to automobile tires or like articles which expand, shrink, and deform repeatedly in use. The non-contact data carrier package may break in harsh operating environment. The tire or like article itself may be damaged. Cost may increase.
In view of the problems, the present invention has an objective to provide a method of securing a wireless IC tag which does not break if it is attached tires and other articles which are used in harsh operating environment. It is also an objective of the invention to provide an article carrying such a wireless IC tag and a vehicle to which such an article is attached.